Postgame: Butler falls to #25 Creighton 85-74

After a slow start on the road at the CenturyLink Center, Butler couldn’t quite battle back from the 17-point halftime deficit and took their third straight conference loss.

Creighton’s Marcus Foster exploded in the first half for 21 points on 9-15 shooting. The Bluejays scored 49 points in the first half collectively on 53% shooting from the field. This first half offensive display proved to be too much for Butler to handle, despite allowing just 36 points in the second half.

Foster finished the game with 23 points and eight assists. Foster was just one of four Bluejays to finish the game in double figures, as the team finished shooting 54% from the field. Junior guard Khyri Thomas finished with 14 points and three steals, one of which was a posterizing Top 10 plays-worthy jam over multiple Butler defenders.

Senior forward Toby Hegner scored 12 points, scoring from the inside as well as from beyond the three point line. Sophomore Martin Krampelj scored 14 points and grabbed an impressive 14 rebounds, despite the Bluejays being outrebounded by Butler 37-32.

Butler star Kelan Martin had a rough game. After averaging 25 points per game in his previous Big East games this season, Martin scored just two in the first half and finished with 10 points. Martin grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out three assists, however couched the ball up six times. Despite a rough game, Martin was a key to Butler’s comeback where they cut the lead to six points with just minutes to go, but he could not close the gap entirely.

Butler’s backcourt had a great offensive game. Paul Jorgensen scored a team high 18 points, Kamar Baldwin scored 15 points, and Aaron Thompson scored 12 points to combine for 45 of Butler’s 74. The three combined for just two turnovers.

Butler’s offense just could not match that of the Bluejays in this contest, however, the Bulldogs’ schedule does not get much easier. They will look to get back on track later this week against high-powered Marquette back in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Player of the game:

Marcus Foster’s offensive explosion in the first half set the tone in this game. While Butler was able to contain him in the second half, this allowed him to set his teammates up for them to pick apart Butler’s defense instead. Foster continues to be one of the top players in the conference, and this performance just solidified that place.

I am from St. Louis, Missouri, and Butler University's Class of 2020.
I played Basketball at Lindbergh High School, but because of my 5'10" wingspan and even lower shooting percentage, I've decided to stick to writing.